Senior Scientist, mRNA Process Development Lead

Quiet Capital; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k with company match

Paid parental leave

PTO 20 days

On-site meals

Job summary

NewLimit is seeking a Principal/Senior Scientist to drive our mRNA process development and engineering efforts. As the mRNA Drug Substance Lead, you'll own process development from research-scale production through external GMP manufacturing.

This is a hands-on, lab-focused role requiring deep expertise in optimizing IVT and purification workflows. You will report to the Sr Director of Tech Ops and help build the mRNA Process Sciences team as our pipeline grows.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent industry experience (5+ years) in relevant field.
• Hands-on experience optimizing IVT reactions and scaling mRNA production (>10 mL).
• Experience with column chromatography purification (AKTA) and oligo-dT steps.
• Proficiency in UFDF/TFF processes and external CDMO management.
• Ability to design and interpret basic mRNA analytical assays (Fragment Analyzer, TapeStation, RP-HPLC).
• Strong data analysis and written communication for reports and protocols.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead mRNA process development capabilities, optimizing IVT yield and purification recovery for preclinical programs.
• Manage tech transfer and scale-up activities at external CDMOs for GLP/GMP mRNA production.
• Partner with analytical team to formalize internal drug substance analytical methods.
• Lead the mRNA platform production team and establish workflow for research-grade mRNA supply.
• Stay current on emerging mRNA design/ manufacturing techniques and bring new approaches.
• Build the mRNA Process Sciences team within Technical Operations.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Team leadership

Technical writing

Experiment design

Education

PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, or related field

Equivalent industry experience (5+ years)

Tools

AKTA systems

Fragment Analyzer

TapeStation

UFDF/TFF systems

Job description

NewLimit is seeking a Principal/Senior Scientist to drive our mRNA process development and engineering efforts. As the mRNA Drug Substance Lead, you'll own process development from research-scale production through external GMP manufacturing.

This is a hands-on, lab-focused role requiring deep expertise in optimizing IVT and purification workflows. You will report to the Sr Director of Tech Ops and help build the mRNA Process Sciences team as our pipeline grows.